What do I do wrong?

[brbrbr]

Thanks a lot for advice guys.
Thanks to you I managed to get to dl 52, cl 32.
And then killed by Eye druj.

I did not see him, it did not detect, and it took all my 280 hp in one breath of nether. (Well, one breath, I drank potion of Healing, and then another breath)
1) That is not what the monster description is. 132 should have been the maximum damage
2) What do I miss about Detect Monsters spell? It does not detect vortexes and skeletons. Does telepathy work better? What is the difference with Reveal Monsters spell, given I am the High-elf, I see invisible creature?
3) How could I avoid that situation? The only solution in mind was to have high HP. My CON was already 17, and I've noticed every +1 to CON gives me about +10 HP, i do not understand how to get to 600 hp.
4) How does character leveling work? Would it help to hang around the level until my cl is about 40?

[Carnivean]

Eye Druj are downright nasty buggers. Stationary, but always awake, so as soon as you are in sight, they smash you. They're +20 speed, so they can get extra attacks. And they're frequently found in pairs or groups. If you see them around, and they aren't blocking you from an artifact, run. If they are, banish them. Worst case, and you know exactly where they are, abuse line of sight or area damage spells to hit them from out of their sight.

1) They have 2 nether attacks. Bolt is 142 damage, but breath is 208. Mana bolt is 253. Because they're fast, and they're often found in groups, you can easily find them spamming tons of these at you, and noone can afford that.
2) Detect monsters only detects visible monsters. Reveal monsters shows invisible monsters as well. When you get it, upgrade to the better spell.
3) CON doesn't increase linearly. You get much, much more at the higher numbers (capped at 18/200, though it shows to 18/220).
4) Clvl is good, but not as good as better gear. Your progression looks about right, though some choose to be lower, others shallower. The game doesn't reward you for dwelling in a certain dlvl range on a risk/reward assessment. Some people win the game at around clvl 40.

[Thraalbee]

It is so easy to lose a character to drujs. They look insignificant with their small "s". This is likely intended, after all they are flying skulls, not big at all. A good rule is to NEVER move around when there is an "s" or more in LOS although with plenty of healing and speed > 30 and there is just one you could certainly do it. Carefully.

If I find a druj, I will first gtfo by teleport or other certain way. Then if I really feel I have to, I will think of a safe way to dispose of it. Banishment is ideal. Melee or direct missile/spell not so. Using ball spells/wands from a position where you can't be seen and can't get a direct hit may be cheesy but I would consider this against the "s" if I had good reason to. In that case you must set the target by using the * character and then arrow keys to position the target as close to the "s" you can and then "t" for target. Because if you can target the druj directly, it can target you.

[Bimbul]

Sounds like you're having a hard time dealing with the Roguelike type game format to me.

These specialise in the instadeath wit no return and you must play a lot or resort to spoilers if you want to progress fast.

I used to play Nethack and it took me 3 years of very hard work to eventually win it - I expect this game is no different. But I'll always say - the early days of pratfalls and learning were far more fun than actually winning it.

Enjoy this time.

[Timo Pietilä]

Thanks a lot for advice guys.
Thanks to you I managed to get to dl 52, cl 32.
And then killed by Eye druj.

I did not see him, it did not detect, and it took all my 280 hp in one breath of nether. (Well, one breath, I drank potion of Healing, and then another breath)

Eye druj does not have breath-weapon. If that is what game says happened, then there is a bug into game. It does have nether ball attack.

[fph]

Eye druj does not have breath-weapon. If that is what game says happened, then there is a bug into game. It does have nether ball attack.

Breathes and spells are quite similar, so it is not surprising that players mix them up.

(From what I understand, the main difference between them is that breath damage is reduced when the monster is at low hp, while spell damage is not.)

[Timo Pietilä]

Breathes and spells are quite similar, so it is not surprising that players mix them up.

(From what I understand, the main difference between them is that breath damage is reduced when the monster is at low hp, while spell damage is not.)

Currently yes. Also spell strengths are mainly based on monster native depth, not HP, so dlvl 5000' manastorming white icky thing would do 600 points of damage.

Breaths are generally more dangerous with one exception: darkness storm. That can do more damage than darkness breath (same damage as manastorm minus resistance if you have one).

[brbrbr]

Nether for sure, breath or ball not so. I had to do -more- several times, so several hits in a raw, I guess.

I am still worried I did not see it with my High-elf eyes, nor with Detect Monster spell. I do have Reveal Monster spell with ~40% failure huge SP requirements - it is not practical so far. Maybe if I get more intelligence....

What about telepathy? Would it reveal these nasty bastards??
I do wear Holhenneth now and have a helm of Telepathy, maybe I should prefer the latter?

[Derakon]

Nether for sure, breath or ball not so. I had to do -more- several times, so several hits in a raw, I guess.

I am still worried I did not see it with my High-elf eyes, nor with Detect Monster spell. I do have Reveal Monster spell with ~40% failure huge SP requirements - it is not practical so far. Maybe if I get more intelligence....

What about telepathy? Would it reveal these nasty bastards??
I do wear Holhenneth now and have a helm of Telepathy, maybe I should prefer the latter?

Detect Monsters should reveal drujs; it reveals any non-invisible monster. Maybe it was on the other side of a screen transition? You can 'L'ook around to scroll the view and make certain you aren't about to walk into an area you don't know anything about.

It's also possible that you encountered a Graveyard, which would explain why you got hit multiple times. Graveyards are chock-full of nasty undead and are extremely dangerous. They're probably in the top 5 most dangerous "encounters" in the game, especially once you get deep enough for them to include reavers (which chew through walls and bring the rest of the graveyard down on your head).

[Timo Pietilä]

Detect Monsters should reveal drujs; it reveals any non-invisible monster. Maybe it was on the other side of a screen transition?

One possibility is that there was a Rotting Q which summoned that druj after detect monster was cast. Those Q:s are invisible empty-minded non-evil monsters, so probability of surprise is high if one of those is nearby. No detection before reveal monsters show them, and priests need detection to see them.

For that reason ESP is pretty much requirement very deep down.

[fph]

Is the activation effect on Holhenneth the same as Detect Monsters or Reveal Monsters?

[Timo Pietilä]

Is the activation effect on Holhenneth the same as Detect Monsters or Reveal Monsters?

Holhenneth has detection. It detects everything including items and doors and traps.

[Ingwe Ingweron]

Is the activation effect on Holhenneth the same as Detect Monsters or Reveal Monsters?

It is the same as "Detection", either the Priestlly spell or the Rod. I.e., it includes: Reveal Monsters (both visible and invisible); Find Traps, Doors, Stairs; and Detect Treasure (both money and objects).

[Rowan]

Casting phase door failed (10%), casting phase door failed (10%), using teleport stuff failed (7%), You die.

Casting satisfy hunger (30%) failed, rest, failed(30%), rest, failed(30%), you are weak, failed(30%), faint, you die.

I totally agree with you on this one. I'll have books and books full of spells with a 1% fail chance, and it feels like they're still failing about a third of the time.

Sure, I understand probability, and I know that 1% fail doesn't mean it WILL succeed 99 times out of 100. But it sure is easy to get pessimistic and suspicious when it fails at a critical time like you describe, haha.

I second what others said- take a break, come back and try again later, invest in foolproof escape plans and cover your resistances as much as possible.

[brbrbr]

I take my words back, guys.
The game is not sadistic.

After surviving dl 30-40 it suddenly became peace of cake.
I get > 300 hp, temporary and permanent speed, heaps of mana, home full of artifacts. My weapon suddenly does heaps of damage.
What a leap!
I am at dl 68, and it still feels safe.

Now, there is something definitely wrong with spell failure rate.
Identify = 50%, Haste self = 50%.
Identify is successful on 5-6 try, I'd say. I just gave up and use staves instead.
On the other hand, Haste self is successfully on the 1st try almost always.
For the past 20 levels I had only two failures of it.

Something wrong with my RNG?